Burial-vault.



No. 831,906. PATENTED SEPT. 25, 1906.

R. W. THOMPSON. BURIAL VAULT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20, 1906.

y 9 N v A Z V A v Z W A v 7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZI WITNESSES:

A TTORNE VS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 25, 1906.

Application filed February 20, 1906. Serial No. 302.102.

To all whom it, may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT WILLIAM THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clearfield, in the county of Clearfield and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Burial-Vault, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to grave-vaults, and is designed to provide certam new and useful improvements whereby the top or cover member of the, vault may be conveniently lowered upon the base or body member thereof and be automatically interlocked therewith, so as to fit snugly thereon and exclude moisture, vermin, and the like.

With this object in view the presentinvention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the a pended claim, it being understood that clianges in the form, proportion,

size, and minor details may be made.within the scope of the claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advanta es 0 the invention.

In t e drawings, Fi e 1 is an underneath perspective view of t e lid or cover of the vault. Fig. 2' is a perspective view of the body of the vault. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the vault with its members separate and a coflin indicated therein by dottedlines.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

- The present vault includes a metallic body and a metallic top, each of which is cast in a single piece. The body includes a base or bottom 1, parallel lon 'tudina'l' upstanding sides 2, end walls 3, and an external eripheral flange 4 in the same plane with t ebase. Each upstanding side of the bottom member adjlzlicent each end is provided with an uprig t recess 5 in its outer face, and in this recess is secured a leaf-spring 6, which has its upper end connected to the body by rivets or other fastenings 7, from which the spring inclines downwardly and outwardly.

The cover member includes an arched top 8, depending sides 9, and end walls 10, there being an external peripheral flange 11 extending entirel around the o 11 bottom of the cover. A jacent each en of each'side of the cover and in the inner face thereof there is clined ownwardly and outwardly, so as to produce a transverse shoulder 13 at the bottom of the recess. i

In practice the body member of the gravean upright recess 12,the back of which is invault is first lowered into the grave, then. the

cofiin (shown by dotted lines in Fig.3) is low ered into the bod member, after which the cover member is owered into the grave, so

as to embrace the body member, and is forced downwardly until the spring-latches snap into the respective keepers or recesses 12, with their lower free ends engaging the uper sides of the bottom of the recesses, therey interlocking the body and the cover members with the interlocking elements housed within the vault, and thereby inaccessible. It will here be explained that it is a very important feature of the present invention to ocate the spring-latches at the bottom of the vault, so as to render the same inaccessible,

even though the grave be uncovered to exose the top of the vault. By locating the atches within the-recesses 12, the side walls of the cover are permitted to snugly fit the side walls of the body, and thereby form a tight joint to exclude moisture, vermin, and the like.

While the vault members have been shown in contact with one another, this is not absointended to fit snugly, and therefore form a closed joint at the bottom of the vault, which is sufiicient to keep out moisture.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is A burial-vault comprising a body which is open at its top and is provided with a closed bottom having downwardly and outwardly inclined sp catches upon the exterior of the body, and a cover telescopically embracin the body with its lower end resting upon 51c flanges and provided with internal recesses receiving the spring-catches with the free ends of the latter en aging the bottoms of the recesses.

11 testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature inthe presence of two witnesses.

' ROBERT WILLIAM THOMPSON. Witnesses;

CHARLES W. Manna, E."WALLAOE.

lutely necessary, as the flanges 4 and 11 are an external annular flange, 

